Correspondence.

Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1143, 23 October 1879, Page 2

Correspondence.

(Our correspondence coltiiiins'qre impaf--tially open to all, but we do not in any xoay identify ourselves zoith opinions expressed

aiß, — Seoing in your issue of the 16th instant, a letter from the erudite pen of 'Mr-damuel wteele, stating* that T voted against a clause ; for imbodiment in !a certain potitiou from the Waipa County Council tp ; the. Government, praying that Chairmen of Road Boards should have -a seat in tho County Council, I beg to give this a most emphatic denial, as a reference to tho resolution as taken from tho minute oook (a copy of "wtiicKl here append) will show_ that .the said resolution was carried unaninibualyj and not 'as falsely stated by the above gentleman. The resolution referred tb, is' as follows :— ? Proposed by Cr. Germann, (l;)' k That Section 8 of the 'Counties Act bo so amended, that each tfoad Board District. in a County constitute a riding ; and the last clause of section 36, limiting the number of ridings to nine, be abolished." — Carried unanimously. (2.) " That section 5, and part s. section 58 to 66, providing for the election of councillors, their number, &c , to be bo Amended' that the Chairman of eachßoad Board in a County shall be, ex oj/icio, a member of the Council of County, 'and the number of councillors be not limited. ' ' — Carried unanimously. ' '' (3.) "That any Road Board shall be entitled to send a second representative, if the population in suoh district exceed 750, or if the amount of currert rates collected in such district in ':■ each year exceed the sum of £200. I now .wish it to be borne in mind that if the Ist and 2nd clauses become law, the present Koad Boards, where two constitute' a riding, would then become seperate iidihgS' and would be represented by one member and the Chairman of its iioad Board, ' I voted for these clauses. ihe 3rd clause, however, giving additional representatives to a Koad Board, with a population exceeding 750, or rates collected annually over £200, 1 certainly did vote against, and for. the following substantial reason :— This system of representation would in no way improve^the districts of Newcastle, Ngaruawahia, i'uhikaramea, Alexandra, or Kihikihi, as the. members for those districts present considered, they voting with me; for while the : separate population or rates in these districts would not come up to the required standard, those of Hamilton and ,Mh.ngapiko, of which districts Messrs S. Steele and Germann are representatives, would, ao you see, Mr Jilditor, while the former districts would in no way benerit by the 3rd. clause^ lih? latter would each return an additional member to the Council, with the effect . of giving their •preponderating influence in the deliberations of the Council, jtheref ore swamping the smaller ridings. I now leave the ratepayers to form .their own conclusions of the action of the councillors who vbted for this clause, feeling certain of their approval of my "own vote. I was aware that Mr ftteele was circulating the report referred to for some time amongst the ratepayers of the Newcastle district, but, until his letter appeared in print, I refrained from taking notice, of such unmanly conduct. I repeat the word unmanly, because, while :Mr Steele was spreading- the report, no one kuew better than he did that what he was saying was untrue.— l am, &c, P. Cobbqy. Whatawhata, Oct. 18th, 1879.